Bacon Cranberry Pistachio Dressing

Homemade bacon cranberry pistachio dressing – perfect for Thanksgiving! Whether you put it in the bird (then it’s stuffing) or on the side, no holiday meal is complete without it!

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And I’m soooo excited. I worked with Mariah Althoff on my logo and branding and she is AMAZING. No one has understood my vision quite like she has.

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Okay… on to today’s recipe. It’s full of bacon, cause bacon is my favorite and I feel like celebrating.

Bacon Cranberry Pistachio Dressing

Dressing and stuffing are pretty much the same thing. The difference is one is made in the oven in a pan and the other is made inside of a turkey (or some other fowl.)

I’m not traditionally a dressing eater but I really like making it. Something about combining my favorite flavors into a bready mess is very exciting. This homemade bacon cranberry pistachio dressing is just that kind of recipe.

Bacon is a favorite of the masses. I chose a super thick cut of bacon for this Thanksgiving dressing recipe and sautéed the vegetables in some of the bacon fat.

I have never used pistachios in a recipe and was excited to break new-ingredient ground. You need to use unshelled pistachios so either take the time to un-shell a bunch or find unshelled pistachios at the store.

I hunted and hunted for them and found some deshelled Turkish pistachios. They are green and purple and added a nice dash of color to this easy recipe.

Cut up some slightly stale French bread and place it in a big bowl. Fry up the bacon and remove it from the pan.

Pour out most of the bacon grease but make sure there is still a little grease in the pan. Add the celery and onion and once the onion is translucent, add the remaining ingredients.

Chop up the bacon into little bits while that is cooking and add it to the bread. Then pour the pan’s ingredients into the bowl and toss gently until everything is combined.

Pour into all into a baking dish and bake it in the oven until the top is crispy. Your guests are going to love this easy Thanksgiving dressing recipe!

Bacon Cranberry Pistachio Dressing

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 0

Homemade bacon cranberry pistachio dressing - perfect for Thanksgiving! Whether you put it in the bird (then it's stuffing) or on the side, no holiday meal is complete without it!

Ingredients

6 cups French bread, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 pounds bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces (reserve some of the grease)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup diced celery

1 cup diced onion

3 cups chicken stock

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup shelled pistachios

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick spray or rubbing it down with butter.

Place the bread cubes and cooked bacon into a large bowl and set aside.

In a large pan, heat the reserved bacon grease and butter. When the butter is melted, add the celery and onion. Saute until translucent. Add the chicken stock, ranberries, pistachios, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir well, then pour over the bread and bacon. Scrape the bottom of the pan if anything is sticking to it.

Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes, uncovered, until the top of the bread cubes are brown and crispy. Halfway through cooking time, stir once.

Reader Interactions

Comments

I’ve been craving stuffing/dressing something fierce for the past couple of weeks…I’m tempted to make only various kinds as sides this year (kidding…but not kidding). 😉 Love the sound of this one, I’ve never had one with fresh cranberries in it before. Your site looks awesome!

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